Bishop's Heart
by Akasa Quatre
Summary: Ryoko is someone who has seen many things in her lifetime, but human-sized turtles and rats and crazy scientists are things that she has not seen before. Set in-between Good Genes and Ninja Tribunal.
1. Introductions

Chapter 1—Introductions

It was a dark night in New York to Ryoko as she ran down the alley . _Why do I always attract these kinds of people?! _She looked over her shoulder at the Foot soldiers following her. _They don't give up! _She looked back in front of her and saw an open sewage drain. She smiled. _I can lose them down there. _She jumped down the hole and kept running. She looked over her shoulder and frowned. They had followed her down. She kept running. She looked forward and saw a small culvert ahead. She ran faster and dashed down it, shrinking against the wall, disappearing into the shadows. She watched as they ran past her, and she breathed a sigh. _That was close._

"Hey, why are the Foot chasing after you?" an angry voice said behind her. Ryoko gasped and turned around. What she saw surprised her. Her eyes got wide when she saw four, human-sized turtles in front of her. They each had a mask on, each one a different color: blue, red, purple, and orange. They also had ninja weapons (or weapon in the case of the purple masked one.)

She blinked. "Do talking turtles even exist?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Hey, she called us turtles!" the orange masked turtle said.

"At least someone knows their biology," the purple masked one said.

The blue masked turtle stepped forward. "I am sorry about my brothers behavior. We normally don't get that question when people first see us, unless they are some scientific megalomaniacs or aliens, which they more or less just start shooting at us. Normal humans just turn and run from us."

Ryoko nodded. "Well, I can understand why. Four human-sized turtles walking around like humans is not something you see every day, nor is it something that is considered normal."

The blue masked turtle smiled. "Well, it is nice to know at least one normal human doesn't think of us as monsters."

Ryoko laughed. "I am by no means normal, turtle. My parents were killed by those Foot soldiers quite a few years back. I was staying with a nice couple out in the country, but then I started hearing tales of the people matching the Foot's description attacking other farms in the area. I thought maybe they were looking for me, so I left and came back to the city. So, here I am, being chased by the Foot for whatever reason. Not exactly a normal existence," she said, shrugging.

The blue-masked turtle nodded. "Yeah, that isn't, but I am being rude. Let's go somewhere more safe and we can talk more."

Ryoko nodded and followed the four turtles. She looked at them more closely. She could tell that the blue-masked one was the leader by his demeanor. He carried two katanas. The red-masked one was not far behind him. He was the only one who hadn't spoke, so she figured he was the first one who spoke to her. He carried two sais. The purple-masked one carried a bo staff, and the orange-masked one carried two nun chucks. _They are definitely ninjas_, she thought to herself as she followed the four turtles. After a while, they came to a wall. The purple-masked one pressed a brick and a keypad popped out. He pressed in a few numbers and the wall opened up. Ryoko followed the four turtles into the huge room that the wall had opened up to.

"This is our home," the blue-masked one said. "And by the way, my name is Leonardo," he said, motioning to himself, "this is Raphael," he motioned towards the red-masked turtle, "this is Donatello," he motioned towards the purple-masked turtle, "and this is Michelangelo," he motioned towards the orange-masked turtle.

Ryoko smiled. "Pleasure to meet you four. I am Ryoko," she said.

"Ryoko. Doesn't that mean 'dragon' in Japanese?" Leonardo asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes. My parents raised me to be the dragon of our family, I guess you could say," she said.

"Typically that is a name only a fierce family would give their child," a voice said from behind the turtles. Ryoko looked up to see a rat, smaller than the turtles, but human-sized.

She cocked her head. "So there are human-sized rats too. This world keeps getting stranger and stranger," she said, awe in her voice.

"Yes, many things in this world are strange, child, but even stranger is why the Foot are intently pursuing a child like you," the rat said.

Ryoko gazed into the rat's eyes. She nodded. "You are correct in saying that my family is fierce. I am a descendent of the strongest mercenary branches in Japan. I have been taught different things, such as ninjutsu, jujitsu, and judo, along with other mercenary skills. I guess my parents took the wrong job concerning the Foot and now they are on a mission to completely wipe us out. Not sure exactly how they knew I even existed, but apparently they do," she said.

The rat nodded. "Agreed. By the way, I am Master Splinter. I am these four's father," he said.

Ryoko choked back a chuckle, then looked at him and then the four turtles. "I will take that you mean that figuratively, not literally."

Master Splinter smiled. "Yes, figuratively."

Ryoko nodded, then asked, "If I may ask, how exactly did you guys end up like this?" she asked.

Splinter nodded. "It is a long story."

Ryoko smirked. "And I have a long time to listen."

The turtles smirked and sat down to listen to the tale. Ryoko also sat and listened very intently. After Master Splinter was done with their story, Ryoko sat there, thinking. "So, you learned ninjutsu by just watching Hamato Yoshi, and when you and the turtles were mutated, you taught them also how to use ninjutsu and you have destroyed the Shredder." Master Splinter nodded. "It is definitely a story that cannot be made up, considering the evidence," she said.

Master Splinter looked at the turtles, then looked at Ryoko. "It also seems that the Shredder also wants your head. If you need a safe place to stay, you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you like."

Ryoko looked at him, surprise on her face. "You would just welcome a stranger into your home?" she asked, shocked.

"Of course. It is obvious you are not with the Foot," Leonardo said.

Ryoko shook her head. "But, I said I was from a family of mercenaries, how can you know I won't betray you at all?" she asked, confusion on her face.

"I agree with her, how can we know that we can trust her!" Raphael shouted.

"If she was somebody that would betray us, she wouldn't have left the couple on the farm because she feared for their safety," Donatello pointed out.

"But you don't know me at all," Ryoko said.

"Trust must be earned, but some level of trust must also be given," Splinter said. "I trust that you won't betray the trust that I have given you," he said.

Ryoko nodded, then stood and bowed. "No, Master Splinter, I will not betray that trust."

"I still don't trust her," Raphael grumbled.

"Well, I trust her," Leonardo said. "She may be a stranger, but there is something about her that you can just trust her. Well, at least for me," he said, looking at Raphael as he said the last part.

Ryoko looked at the red-masked turtle, then turned and walked so that she was standing in front of where he was sitting. Raphael looked up at her, eyes narrowed. Ryoko stared at him, eyes unblinking. Raphael sat there, eyeing her. She was of average height, around five and a half feet, and thin. She appeared to be the same age as them, maybe even a little older. She had long, brown hair with subtle streaks of blonde and red. Her eyes seemed to be grey, but as Raphael watched them, they also seemed to change between green and blue. She wore a pair of denim jeans and a black tank top showing some midriff. Right above her waistband, what looked like a tattoo poked out above it. She wore a necklace, the design catching his eye. It was very simple. The cord was a thin leather and the pendant was in the shape of a dragon. Ryoko smirked, then placed her hands on either side of him on the couch and did a flip over it. Raphael jerked around, growling at her. She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Really, if you don't trust me, then don't make it so easy to get your sais from you," she said as she dangled them over her index finger.

"Why you little…," Raphael didn't get further than that before he charged at her. Ryoko smiled.

"Such a straight forward attack won't work on me, Raphael. I can just dodge," she said as she stepped to the side, his fist whistling past her ear. He turned quickly, aiming for her stomach. She ducked and swung her legs around, swiping his feet out from under him. He hit the floor, and before he could blink, she was on top of him, sais imbedded in the floor on either side of his head. "Attacking in anger does nothing, it just gets you into trouble. Perhaps you shouldn't trust me, and I don't blame you. After what I told you about myself, I wouldn't trust me either."

"And you think attacking me helps you any?!" he shouted, struggling, but she had him pinned down good.

"No, but I just showed you a little what I am capable of. I can do much more, but I want to lay all my cards out for you, and then you can train to be able to beat me. Even though I will never do anything to betray you guys, you at least have the peace of mind that if I do ever try something, you can beat me."

Raphael lay quiet for a minute, then nodded. Ryoko smiled and got off of him. "It makes sense, but I still don't trust you," he said.

Ryoko chuckled. "I didn't expect you to, Raphael, but please at least give me a chance," she said, extending her hand to him. Raphael looked at her offered hand, then took it and pulled himself up.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance. And also, call me Raph."

Ryoko smiled. "Alright, Raph."


	2. Enter Bishop

_The Next Day_

Leonardo woke up the next morning at six and smelled something. His stomach growled. _It smells good, whatever it is._ He got up and headed down to the first level where the kitchen was. He walked in and he saw Ryoko cooking some eggs and bacon. She looked at him standing in the doorway and smiled. "Morning, Leonardo, how'd you sleep last night?" she asked cheerily.

"I slept well. And you can call me Leo. Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, recalling that the night before she was still up at 10 when he went to bed.

"Yeah, a few hours of sleep," she said, checking the bacon. "What do you want to drink?" she asked, grabbing a glass out of the cupboard.

"Orange juice is fine," he said, sitting down at the table, watching her grab the container out of the fridge and pouring some into the glass she had gotten out. "How much sleep did you get last night exactly?"

Ryoko looked up at the ceiling. "I think around five hours."

Leo shook his head. "You really should get more than that. It's not healthy."

Ryoko nodded. "I know, but it's sort of hard when you are in a new place with new people. I guess I should say that I don't trust you guys 100% either," she said matter-of-factly as she pulled the bacon out of the pan and placed it on a plate. "How many eggs do you want?" she asked.

"Two."

"What about your brothers and Master Splinter?"

"My brothers would want two and Master Splinter would want one," Leo said. Ryoko nodded as she got out the eggs and set them on the counter.

Leo watched as she put the eggs back into the fridge. "You don't have to make everybody breakfast, Ryoko," he said.

"I know, but I figure this is one way to earn my keep here," she said.

"There is no need for you to earn your keep," he responded.

"I don't wish to be a burden to you guys at all by being here and doing nothing," she said, fists clenched in the dish towel she was holding. "I don't want to stand to the side and watch everything from a distance."

Leo looked at her, brows slightly furrowed. "You are no longer talking about staying here, are you?" he said quietly.

Ryoko looked at him, sadness in her eyes. "I guess not. I watched from the closet my parents being brutally murdered by the Foot soldiers. They told me to hide there and to not move. I did as they had told me, but I knew I could have done something to save them instead of watching them die in front of me," she said quietly.

Leo stood and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You were doing as they told you, and that is no fault of your own," he said kindly.

"But it wasn't the right thing to do!" she shouted. "The right thing would have been to jump out of that closet and beat the living hell out of them! But I didn't do that. I sat in the closet, like a scared child and let my parents be killed," she said, eyes misting, then she turned quickly and flipped the eggs over before they burnt.

Leo watched her then stepped up beside her. "But you can't blame yourself for their death. They had wanted to save you, so they told you to hide. You are not to blame for their death."

"But I could have…," she started but Leo placed his hand over her mouth.

"You could have done nothing, Ryoko. You did the right thing by obeying your parents. Never once think that you did wrong by not obeying them," he said quietly.

Ryoko looked into his eyes, searching, then she nodded. Leo dropped his hand. "Ok, I understand. I'll try not to blame myself so much."

Leo smiled and nodded. "Good."

Ryoko turned around and quickly took the egg out of the pan and placed it on the plate. She turned and gave Leo the plate. "Here's your breakfast, Leonardo."

Leo smirked. "I thought I told you to call me Leo."

Ryoko's eyes got wide. "I am sorry, you did tell me that. Forgive me, Leo?" she asked.

Leo chuckled. "Apology accepted," he said as his other three brothers came stumbling into the kitchen.

"What's cooking?" Michelangelo asked.

Ryoko smiled. "Eggs and bacon. How many eggs do you want and what do you want to drink?"

"Two and orange juice," the other three turtles chorused. Ryoko and Leo laughed.

Master Splinter sat at the door to his room and smiled. The girl seemed to be adjusting to life here alright, and the fact that she shared something personal to Leo said that her trust in at least him was building. He nodded. Yes, they were something that she needed, but he also had a feeling that she is someone that they needed. He listened to his sons and guest as they talked and ate breakfast. He smiled as he walked out into the kitchen for his breakfast.

_That Evening_

Master Splinter and the turtles were training. Ryoko sat along the sidelines, watching them. After training, everybody went their separate ways. Ryoko stayed in the training area, musing on what to do, when a bell rang. Ryoko jumped, poised for a fight, when Donatello came in and saw her and laughed. "It's fine, Ryoko, it's just either April or Casey. They're some other human friends of ours. There is an entrance top side and they ring for us to let them in," he explained.

"Oh, ok," she said as she relaxed her stance and watched the door where Donnatello had motioned towards. The door opened up and a red-haired woman stepped out, followed by a black-haired man.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Donatello said as he walked up to them.

"Hey Don, nothing much, just coming down to check on you guys. Anything interesting happening?" the red-head asked Donatello.

"Not really, but we have another person living with us. Her name's Ryoko. The Foot were chasing her last night and we decided she could stay here until everything blows over with them," Leo said, walking up.

"Well, where is she. I would like to meet her," the red head said.

Donatello smiled. "April, she's right," he turned around and Ryoko wasn't there, "over there. Well, she was over there."

"Well, she may have ran seeing that two humans came in," Casey said. "She may be scared on how we would react to her."

"That's definitely not it, Casey. She is human just like you and April. Personally, I don't trust her," Raph said, leaning against the wall.

Michelangelo came into the room and pointed over his shoulder. "Why was Ryoko hightailing it outside just now?" he asked.

"She just left?" Leo asked.

Michelangelo nodded. "Yeah, and she looked like she saw a ghost."

April stood there, a thoughtful look on her face. Casey looked at her. "What are you thinking, April?"

April shook her head. "It's probably nothing, but the name sounds really familiar. What does she look like?" she asked.

Leo held his hand up about even with his head. "She's about this tall, thin, in her late teens, has long brown hair with natural looking streaks of blonde and red in it with grey eyes and medium skin tone."

April nodded. "I think I may know who she is, but I would have to see her to make sure," she said.

"Well, who knows where she went. We don't know her too well to find her," Donatello said.

"I can wait, but you guys can tell us what's been going on around here. We haven't seen you guys in a while," she said as the four turtles and the two humans walked towards the sitting area of the lair.

_Meanwhile, Above Ground_

_I can't see her right now. I don't want to be reminded of my family right now, _she thought as she ran on top of the roofs, jumping from roof to roof. She just kept running, pushing herself even when she felt she couldn't run anymore. She finally had a misstep, and fell down to the alley, landing on a pile of trash bags. _Geez, couldn't it have been some mattresses instead?_ she wondered to herself as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Really, you should take better care of yourself, Ryoko," a voice said as a shadow walked up to her from the street. She moved to run the other way, but guys in uniforms and with guns stood in front of her. She raised her hands above her head.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" she asked defiantly.

"My name is Agent Bishop and I wish to experiment on you. I have watched you from a distance. I think that you have an advanced genetic make-up that would benefit me greatly."

"Geez, you're not much of a smooth talker. Telling a girl you want to experiment on her is not a smart thing to say. So many bad things come to mind," Ryoko said.

"Perhaps, but you will come with me. I will not take no for an answer," Agent Bishop said.

"And I won't take yes for an answer. Guess we are in a predicament now, aren't we?" she said sarcastically.

"You are a witty one, aren't you? Get her!" Bishop shouted. The men with guns ran towards her, surrounding her.

"Really, cornering a lady is not a very nice thing to do," she said as she turned and ran towards the wall. The alley was narrow, allowing her to jump from wall to wall up towards the roof.

"Stop her!" Bishop shouted.

Ryoko heard guns firing. She was almost to the top when she felt a jab in her leg. She looked down and saw what looked like a tranquillizer dart in her leg. She got to the top and started to run back the way that she came, but everything was going fuzzy. She made it half way across the roof top before she collapsed. She breathed heavy. _If they take me, the others won't be able to find me. Like they would come and look for me, though. They don't even know me. But on the off chance they did…_ she mused. She looked down at her necklace. _They would surely recognize this. _She took the necklace off and tossed it towards the edge of the roof. _IF they come looking for me, maybe they'll find that._ Her vision got really blurry and she watched as the men in uniforms came up by the ladder. The last thing she remembered was seeing Agent Bishop leaning over her and saying, "I'll take good care of you, don't you worry about that."


	3. The Deal

**Back at the Lair, Hours Later**

"Where in the world could she have gone?" Leo mused aloud.

"Hey, maybe she went somewhere else, figured it wasn't worth her while to stay here," Raph said, leaning back into the couch.

"But she seemed like she was ok, not like she was planning on leaving," Donatello said. April and Casey had headed back earlier but April had said to bring Ryoko up to her place whenever she came back so that she could meet her.

"She can take care of herself. We don't need to worry about her," Raph said.

"But if something did happen, such as a surprise attack by the Foot. We have no way of knowing how to find her. At least with us, Donnie has us outfitted with the shell cells for us to find us and we at least know where everybody has gone. With Ryoko, she has no device and we have no idea where she went," Leo said.

"Look, I don't trust her and I say good riddance. If the Foot got her, then one less danger I need to worry about," Raph said.

Leo shook his head. "Whatever, Raph, but I am going topside to look for her. You two coming with me?" he asked his other two brothers.

Mikey and Don looked at each other. "Yeah, sure. I am a little worried about her," Don said.

"Look, if she's in trouble, the great and powerful Battle Nexus Champ will save her!" Mikey said, striking a pose. Raph came up behind him and slapped his upside the head. "Oww!"

"She ain't in any trouble, just ran off, since she figured she wasn't welcomed here," Raph said, ignoring Mikey.

"She wasn't welcomed here by you. The rest of us have," Leo pointed out. "Anyways, let's go look for her," he said as he started walking towards the lair door.

**Back with Ryoko**

_Oww, what's wrong with my head? Feels like a box of rocks landed on it_, she thought as she went to move, but quickly realized that she couldn't move her arms or legs. Her eyes flew open and she immediately saw that her hands and feet were bound to a table. She looked around the room and it was filled with scientific looking stuff. _Where am I? Oh yeah, that's right, Agent Bishop and his men caught me._

"I see you are finally awake," a voice said to her right, She jerked her head to look that direction. Agent Bishop walked into the light. "You have been sleeping for two hours now," he said.

"Well, I didn't sleep well last night, so thanks for the sleeping pill, I really needed it," she said snidely.

"You have quite an attitude. However, that will quickly disappear after we run my little…experiments on you." Bishop walked up to her table where she was.

Ryoko started to jerk on her bounds. "Well, you picked the wrong person. I am known to have an attitude with people I don't like, no matter the circumstance."

"Well, maybe this will cool your attitude," Bishop said as he pushed a button, releasing her.

Ryoko stood quickly, eyeing Bishop warily. "Why did you let me go?"

"First, I want to run some physical tests on you, to see how you work in action. I have observed you from afar, but I wish to see you in action a little…closer," Bishop said, fingers stroking her face. She jerked away.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, believe me, I know your family's history of being the most notorious family in Japan for being mercenaries. Quick, quiet, and with the possibility of being deadly. I wish to see you in action, gather some data on you, than I will decide from there what I want to do with you. You have two choices. Either you stay and do my experiments or you fight to get out and get hurt. Your choice."

"I don't have anything to live for, so I'll fight you," she said, readying herself to fight.

"So you would want to put the turtles' lives in danger?" Bishop asked. He smirked when he saw the shocked look on her face.

"You know about them? How?" she asked, relaxing her stance slightly.

"I have known about them for a long time. I watch them and I know that you are their friend. Do you really want something bad to happen to them?" Bishop asked, circling her.

Ryoko shook her head. "No, I don't," she said quietly.

"Ok, then if you perform everything as I tell you to, I will not hurt them and will stop hunting them. Is that a deal?" Bishop asked.

Ryoko thought for a moment, than nodded her head. "It's a deal. I'll perform these tests for you. But you promise to leave them alone?" she asked.

"I promise," Bishop said, extending his hand. Ryoko eyed his hand suspiciously, then reached forward and took his hand. Bishop grinned. "Excellent."

**Back with the Turtles on the Rooftop**

"Leo, I think I found something," Don said over the walkie-talkie.

"Where are you, Don?" Leo asked.

Don told him where he was at and Leo and Mikey headed that way. When they got there, Don was holding a necklace and a tranquillizer dart in his hands. Leo walked up to him. "It's her necklace and a tranquillizer dart. Guessing by the messed up trash bags, she may have fallen down there and was jumped, then she must have jumped from wall to wall to get up here and she was shot with a tranquillizer. Whoever it was has her," Don said, shaking his head.

"And I think I know who," Leo said, turning the tranquillizer over, showing the letters EPF.

"Bishop has her?!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Yeah, and who knows what he wants with her," Don shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

"We need to find where Bishop's lab is and get her out of there. Let's head back to the lair and tell Raph and Master Splinter," Leo said, standing up.

**Back with Ryoko**

"When are you going to stop with these stupid attacks?!" she shouted up at the window where she knew Bishop was.

"Whenever you collapse from exhaustion, my dear," he said.

"Well, that's going to be awhile," she grumbled.

"And that's what I want," Bishop said, smirking.

Ryoko growled but kept dodging the lasers that had been shooting at her for the last hour.

**Two Hours Later**

"She has a high level of endurance. We have increased the rate and number of lasers firing and she is still holding her own fairly well," a lab tech said to Bishop.

"She is performing even beyond what I had expected," he said.

He watched as she dodged laser shots one after the other. There was a break in the firing and she stood, breathing heavy. The shooting commenced again. She groaned and started to dodge again. Bishop shook his head. _She is definitely no ordinary human_.

He was just about ready to stop the test when Ryoko was not fast enough to dodge a laser. A laser hit her, sending her back against the wall. She didn't move to get up. She sat there, breathing heavy. Bishop nodded. _So that is her breaking point. Beyond anything I could currently engineer. _He walked into the room where she was. She glared at him as he walked up.

"Done with this stupid test, Bishop?" she growled.

"Yes," he said. He stood over her. She glared at him as some men in lab coats came in, shackles in hand, but Bishop stopped them. "I'll take care of her," he said as he bent down and picked her up and carried her out.

Ryoko's eyes got wide. She would have fought, but she didn't have the strength. That laser took the little strength she had left out of her. "What exactly are you trying to do?" she growled.

"You performed beyond anything I could ever imagine," he said. "Consider it as a gesture of admiration in your abilities."

"Sounds like some cheesy pick up line," she mumbled.

"It isn't a pick up line. I've already picked you up," he said.

Ryoko blinked. "Is that supposed to be a joke, 'cause it ain't funny."

"No, I picked you up. Not sure why you would need a line, though," he said.

She shook her head, not believing her ears. "You don't know what a pick up line is, do you?" she asked.

Bishop looked down at her. "No."

"It's something a guy normally says to get a date or get laid," she said.

"Why would he need to say something to lie down?" Bishop asked, slightly confused.

"Not laid as in lie down, well, I guess it can be that, but I mean as in, you know, the act of reproduction between a man and a woman," Ryoko said, face tinged red.

Bishop noticed. He knew what she was talking about now. He smirked. "Do you mean sex?" he asked. He smirked even bigger when he saw her duck her head and noticed her ears were bright red. She mumbled something. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you," he said. She mumbled again. "Sorry, I still couldn't hear you."

She jerked her head up. "I said yes, I meant sex!" she shouted, then turned ten shades of red and ducked her head back down. Bishop smirked.

A minute later, he came to a door that opened automatically. He carried her over to the bed and set her down on it. "So I guess this is my prison cell," she said, pushing herself up to look at where she was at.

"No, this is a private suite. My room is just down the hall," he said. Ryoko looked up at him quizzically. "What is it?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

Bishop looked across the room. "It is to keep you in top condition. You are not like my genetically engineered projects. You are a human with non-human capabilities. Can't have you in an emotionally distressed situation."

Ryoko laughed. "Nice cover story, but what is it really?" she asked.

Bishop glared at her. "That is it." He turned to leave. Ryoko sat up and grabbed his coat sleeve.

"Some big, bad man like you, someone who is cold and calculating, would never care about his test subjects emotional wellbeing. Now, what is the real reason you are being nice to me? Why carry me here? Why give me a normal room? What are you trying to hide?" she asked.

Bishop looked back at her. Her eyes seemed to pierce through him. _They are so much like HERS_. "There is no other reason," he jerked his sleeve out of her hand and walked out.

Ryoko shook her head. She was not going to give up.


	4. The Rescue Attempt

**Back with the Turtles**

"Master Splinter, Bishop has Ryoko!" Leo shouted as he and his two brothers ran into the lair.

"What, so he decided to kidnap her? Bish apparently doesn't realize she isn't a mutant," Raph said.

"She may not be a mutant on the outside, but I had been doing some research on her and her family, and they are well known mercenaries," Don said.

"This we already knew, Brainiac," Raph said.

"Yes, but the reports of their jobs are almost…unnatural. Her family appears to have many superhuman characteristics. Like they were genetically engineered. What's weird is that the entire family seemed to have them, almost like the abilities were genetically inherited. Bishop may want to utilize her DNA to create an army," Don said, concern in his eyes.

"Hey, let him use her, we don't need her," Raph said.

Leo narrowed his eyes and stalked towards his brother. "Raph, I don't get you. Why do you not even care what happens to her? Why don't you care that she is in BISHOP'S labs where he performs grotesque and horrible experiments on people? You WANT her to go through that?" he growled.

Raph narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust her and if Bishop wants to do something with her, then he can. She's not my friend," he growled back.

Leo shook his head. "Fine, don't come with, but as soon as we find Bishop's lab, we are going to break her out of there," he said.

Master Splinter shook his head.

A Few Minutes Later

"Alright guys, I found it. It is downtown Manhattan," Don said.

"Alright, let's go guys," Leo said. Raph started to follow. Leo looked at him. "Why are you coming? You don't care what happens to her," he said coolly.

"I'm not going to let you guys hog all the fun," Raph said. Leo shook his head.

"Fine," he said, than they headed out.

**Back with Ryoko**

She lay in bed, resting. She was not sure when they were coming in to take her for the next round of tests, but she figured she should try to rest up as much as she could. She heard her door open up and she sighed, rolling over to get up for the next round of tests. When she was turned over, she jerked up, eyes wide. "Michelangelo?" she asked, not believing her eyes.

"Hey bros, I found her. Third door down the right hall," he said into his walkie-talkie. He ran towards Ryoko and grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards the door.

"Michelangelo, wait, I can't go," she said as she pulled her hand out of his.

Mikey turned around. "Call me Mikey, and why can't you come? We came to rescue you," he said, puzzled. Ryoko looked around, scared, when the others came in.

"Ryoko!" Leo shouted, running towards her and wrapping his arms around her. Her eyes got wide. "At least you seem ok, did Bishop do anything to you?" he asked, pushing her out to arm's length.

Ryoko shook her head, dumbfounded. "She said she can't go with us, Leo!" Mikey exclaimed.

The other three turtle's brows furrowed as they looked at the girl. "I promised Bishop that if I stayed and did everything he needed, he would leave you guys alone…permanently. I don't know all the details between you guys and him, but I don't wish to put your lives in danger for mine. So leave, while you still have the time," Ryoko said, pushing them away.

"No, we aren't going to leave you," Leo said, grabbing her.

"Leo, just leave her. She doesn't want to be with us. Can't you see that she is trying to get away from us?" Raph said.

Leo whirled on Raph. "Look, I don't know what your problem is with her, but stop it! All of this mistrust is currently unfounded."

Leo opened his mouth to say something else, but Ryoko interrupted. "I hate to interrupt this family feud, but you guys need to get out of here. NOW!" she said as she pushed them towards the door.

Leo whirled back to her and grabbed her arm. "We are not leaving without you, now come on!" he shouted, running with her in tow. She pulled her arm out of his hand.

"Leo! Stop! There is something else going on, something I need to figure out. Bishop has been nice to me, and I want to know why. He says it's to protect my emotional health, but I have a feeling that is not the truth at all. Even if it is, I want to know why he cares about mine and not his other experiments. Please, let me stay. Let me find out. If he lets me go, I will come back. I promise," she said, eyes pleading.

Leo looked at her eyes. Don looked at him. "We can't leave her here, Leo."

"Sure we can," Raph said.

"No, we can't! She is a flower that needs protecting," Mikey said. Ryoko looked at him, eyebrow arched.

Leo shook his head, then looked at her. "You promise you'll come back to us?" he asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, I promise."

Leo took a breath. "Ok, we'll let you stay." Ryoko smiled.

"Thank you, Leo. Now, you guys got to get out of here before…"

"Before what?" Bishop said as he came in through the door.

"Before you came," she said, groaning.

Bishop looked at the four turtles. "Look at what we have here. A rescue operation? Ryoko, were you going to leave with them?" he asked.

She ran to be in between him and the turtles. "No, I wasn't going to leave, Bishop. My family may be mercenaries, but we don't break promises. I promised I would stay until the end, and I will," she said, eyes firm and steadfast.

Bishop nodded. "I trust you. However, I cannot let the turtles leave."

Ryoko shook her head, eyes flashing. "You have to. I am upholding my part of the bargain. You said you would not harm them or hunt them."

"I did promise that," Bishop mused, then turned to the turtles. "You can go, thanks to your friend's plea. But hurry, before I change my mind." Ryoko breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned towards the others. "Be safe, ok?" she said.

Leo nodded. "We will." He looked at Bishop. "Come on, guys, let's go," he said as he turned and ran out of the room. Don and Mikey looked at her sadly, then waved and followed Leo. Raph was on their tails, before he stopped and turned to look back. Bishop walked towards Ryoko. She stood there, defiance in her eyes. Raph watched as Bishop stretched out his hand and stroked a piece of her hair out of her face, then stroked her cheek. Ryoko jerked her head away slightly. Raph's eyes widened, then he turned to follow his brothers.

Bishop gazed down at Ryoko. "Why do you look at me that way?" she asked calmly.

"Look at you in what way?" he asked.

"Tenderly, gently. You don't seem to be that kind of man," she said.

"Perhaps, but even men like me can be tender and gentle," Bishop said.

She laughed. "I find that hard to believe."

"Perhaps, but you remind me so much of a woman I loved. She was the only woman I cared for in that way." He turned away from Ryoko.

"May I ask what her name was?" Ryoko asked, coming up behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Awel," he said quietly.

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Awel?" she said quietly.

Bishop nodded, then he whirled around towards her. "Pretend I never said that."

Ryoko smirked. "I will pretend with others that you didn't say it, but I won't pretend with you."

Bishop growled. "Fine. Sleep well. You have a long day of testing tomorrow," he said shortly.

Ryoko stood at attention and saluted. "Yessir!" she shouted. Bishop glared at her. She shrugged. "What? I was giving you a salute, sir." Bishop would have loved to roll his eyes, but he didn't. He just shook his head and continued walking out. Ryoko grinned. After he left, her grin disappeared. "Awel," she said quietly.


	5. A Twist in the Heart

**With the Turtles**

"I can't believe she decided to just stay there with Bishop!" Raph exclaimed.

The other three turtles and the rat looked at him like he was insane. Raph looked at them. "What! You can't say that you guys aren't upset that she decided to stay with him!" he shouted.

"No, we aren't happy, but we are surprised at your change of attitude towards her, my son," Master Splinter said. "Before you could care less about what happened to her, now you are upset that she decided to stay to protect us. What happened?"

Raph shook his head. "Nothing, just realized how stupid I was," he mumbled.

Leo placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's not just that. You came after us a decent amount later. You saw something, didn't you?" he asked.

Raph shrugged his brother's hand off. "Yeah, I saw Bishop being…I don't know…gentle. Tender. It got on my nerves that he was acting that way."

Leo's brows furrowed. "What did he do?"

Raph relayed what he had seen, and Leo shook his head. "So that's what she meant," he said quietly.

"What do you understand now, my son?" Master Splinter asked.

"Ryoko said that Bishop was nice to her, and based on what Raph just said, it is possible, even as much as I hate to admit it, it is possible that Bishop likes her," Leo said.

The other turtles looked at each other, than stuck their tongues out. "Eww!"

**Back with Ryoko—The Next Day**

"Wake up, Ryoko. Time for your next round of tests," Bishop said, walking into her room.

"Five more minutes, Bish," she mumbled into the pillow. "I was having a nice dream."

Bishop looked at her and his eyes glinted. "What kind of dream?" he asked.

Ryoko cracked open her eyes and saw him watching her. "None of your business," she said as she rolled over to face the opposite wall.

Bishop came over and sat on her bed. Ryoko stiffened. He reached out and stroked her hair, putting it behind her ear. "What was your dream about?" he asked softly.

Ryoko shook her head. "The past."

"What about it?"

Ryoko tucked her chin in. "My family."

"What about them?"

"Before the Foot killed them all."

Bishop had been stroking her hair, but stopped when she said that. "The Foot?"

"Yes. We had heard of others in our family being killed. We thought it was just bad coincidences, but it turns out the Foot was killing us, one family at a time. I am the last one, as far as I know," she said quietly.

Bishop looked down at her. "Well, some tests may get your mind off of that. Come on and get up," he said, patting her shoulder as he stood.

Ryoko rolled onto her back and sat up on her elbows. "Bishop?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Yes?"

She cocked her head. "Beneath that cold exterior is a kind heart. Perhaps need to dig some, but there is one there," she said gently. Bishop shook his head and turned to leave. "Awel was my grandmother," she said. He stopped. "Is that why you are so kind to me? Because I am her granddaughter?" she asked.

Bishop looked at her over his shoulder. "That is none of your concern."

"She spoke of you. She said a man of science once loved her, but she couldn't marry him. His views were too extreme. You were that man, weren't you?" she asked. Bishop looked away from her. "I am right, aren't I?" she said quietly. "Though you seem too young to even have been born during her time. How old are you?" she asked.

"I knew I should not have told you that," Bishop said, taking long strides towards the door.

Ryoko jumped out of bed and ran towards him and grabbed his hand. "Wait, I am sorry, it's just that, you are a part of my family's past, and I want to know about you a little more. Sorry for being such a child and being curious," she said, barely above a whisper.

Bishop looked back at her. "Get dressed and ready for the tests. You have a long day ahead of you," he said brusquely and continued walking.

Ryoko let go of his hand and watched him walk away. After he left, she turned towards the closet and picked out her clothes for the day.

Later That Day

"Agent Bishop, she seems to be holding up well against this. Her heart rate and oxygen intake are normal, despite all the pressure," a scientist said, watching Ryoko.

"That is good. Push her some more," he said. The scientist nodded and turned a knob up. The rate of fire increased inside the testing area where Ryoko was. She kept dodging, flipping, and jumping, avoiding the lasers shooting at her. She kept up, keeping pace with the lasers, despite the increase of shooting.

Bishop nodded. "Ok, let's try the next test."

The scientist nodded and turned off the lasers. "Alright, Ryoko, you can head to the next room." She nodded and turned and headed towards the door.

Bishop nodded. "I leave this to you gentlemen. I have a meeting with the President right now. Make sure everything is done the way I would do it," he said.

"Of course, Agent Bishop," the scientist said as he gathered his papers to move on to the next room.

**A Few Hours Later**

"Where are they testing Ryoko now?" Bishop asked a scientist as he came back.

"Still in the water room," said scientist said.

Bishop headed down towards the room where they were testing the girl.

He walked into the room. As he walked in, everything on the computer screens was red. He looked at Ryoko. She was in a glass box of water, holding her breath. His eyes got wide. "What is going on here?!" he exclaimed.

"We're performing the tests, just like you said, Agent Bishop," the scientist from earlier said, surprised at Bishop's reaction. Bishop hit the stop button.

"The screens are red! You are going to kill her!" he shouted as he left the room.

"But you would have pushed her until she passed out. She hadn't even passed out!" the scientist shouted at Bishop's retreating back. He shook his head. "Geez, you would think he actually cared about her."

"He may. She is a human. It's not like she is a genetically altered human. She was born this way, with no abnormal appearance, but abnormal power. Just seems to be his type," another scientist said. "Heck, she would be my type. Have you really looked at her? She's gorgeous, not to mention that dragon tattoo on her hip is sexy."

The first scientist just shook his head. "No being attracted to the test subject, you idiot."

What the two scientists didn't know was that Bishop heard every word they just said, and it had him mad. He stormed down into the room where Ryoko had been. Bishop walked in. The tank where she was being held was empty of the water that was previously there. She was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Bishop punched a button that lifted the glass box. She started falling backwards and Bishop caught her. She cracked open her eyes. "Hey, you came back," she said, cracking a smile.

"Of course I did. Good thing I did, too, or else you would be dead already," he said as he stroked her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Aww, no I wouldn't be. I am tougher than I look, Bishop," she said, trying to jest, than she started coughing up some water.

Bishop looked up where he knew the two scientists were and narrowed his eyes. The scientists up there gulped. "I didn't think that she was that bad," the scientist in charge murmured.

Bishop looked back down at her. "Let's go get you changed and rested up. That's all you'll be doing today," he said as he picked her up and carried her out of the room. _I need to look at the data that they got. What have they been doing to her these last few hours?_ he mused. When he got to her room, he set her down and walked towards her closet. Ryoko watched him as he grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants out of the closet and brought it over to her. He sat down next to her and reached down to pull off her shirt.

"Hey!" she shouted, slapping his hands away. She groaned and held her head.

"You are in no shape to take care of yourself and you can't stay in those wet clothes. You'll get sick," he said. "The only choice is that I change you so that your clothes are dry."

"I like the clothes I have on now, thank you very much," she growled.

Bishop then really looked at what she was wearing. She had decided on wearing a pair of shorts and a half tank top. "You'll catch a cold if you keep on wearing that," he said as reached down again. Again, Ryoko slapped his hand away.

"I can change myself, just give me some time, ok," she said as she slowly sat up. She started coughing. Bishop gently pushed her back down.

"Just let me do it. I've seen plenty of naked women in my line of work that one more is not going to bother me."

"But it bothers me!" she shouted, starting a round of coughing again.

"It will be fine," Bishop said.

"Is there a woman here that can do it instead?" she asked, eyes pleading.

"No. There are only men in this lab. Women can't seem to take the sight of what we do here," he said as he proceeded to replace the wet clothes with dry ones.

Ryoko blushed ten different shades of red as Bishop changed her clothes. She hated feeling this helpless. When Bishop took the shorts off, he saw the tattoo that he had overheard the other scientists talking about earlier. It was practically covered by the shorts, but just the tip of the dragon's head showed above the waistband. He put on her pants, then looked at where it would be and reached down to stroke it. _The dragons shall be unleashed when the world needs it most_, he thought. Ryoko slapped his hand away. He jumped, startled.

"Really, touching a woman's thigh is not a proper thing to do, Bishop," she said harshly.

Bishop smirked. "Of course, my dear, it isn't, unless the man cares for the woman," he said as he leaned down. His face was only inches from hers.

Ryoko's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't breathe. _What to do, what to do, what to do?!_ she thought frantically. Bishop smiled, then closed the inch left, kissing her on the lips. Ryoko's eyes widened. _H-He's kissing me! What do I do now?!_ Bishop pulled back from her.

Ryoko just laid there, stunned. Bishop smirked. "Guess I still have the touch after all these years," he said as he leaned forward and let his lips brush her forehead. He stood up. "Sleep well, my dear," he said as he left.

Ryoko laid there. _What…just happened?_ She quickly sat up. "You don't have the touch! You surprised me!" she shouted after him. She groaned and held her head. The door closed and she sighed. _What the heck was that all about?_ she thought. She started thinking about what just happened, and very quickly her face turned red. _Why the heck did he KISS me?! _she thought. She leaned back into her bed. _Maybe this is just a bad dream. I had blacked out in the tank, so maybe this is just a really, REALLY bad dream. I'll go to sleep and I'll wake up in real life and this had NEVER happened._ She rolled over. _Yeah, this is just a bad dream._


	6. A Day of Testing and a Mysterious Guest

**The Next Morning**

Ryoko rolled over. _5:00. Bishop came in around 5:15 to get me up, so I should get up and get ready._ She sat up and stretched, then swung her legs around and placed her feet on the floor. She walked over to her closet and opened up the door. She started going through looking for some shorts (since those were less constricting than pants) but she couldn't find any. _That's weird, I could have sworn there were a ton more in here. _She shrugged. _Oh well, guess I'll wear pants today._ After she grabbed a pair of pants she liked, she started looking for a tank top. _Where are all those tank tops I saw yesterday?! Seems like half of the closet is different from yesterday. _She shook her head. _Well, t-shirt it is. _She grabbed a t-shirt and took it and the pants and walked over to the bed and started to change. She had the dirty shirt half way off when she heard the door behind her opening. She looked at the clock. _It's only 5:10! _She quickly jerked the shirt back down and turned around. Bishop stood there, smirking. "Really, you shouldn't walk into a woman's room without knocking, Bishop," Ryoko said coolly.

"Well, I was expecting you to still be sleeping. You were sound asleep this time yesterday morning," he said as he strode up to her. "You sleep well?" he asked, stroking her face. Ryoko then remembered her 'dream' and blushed a deep red.

"Yes, I did, now can you please leave so that I can change?" she asked as she turned her back towards him, face still red.

Bishop's eyebrows went up. "Do you not remember last night?" he asked, placing his hands on her waist.

Ryoko stiffened. "It wasn't a nightmare? You actually changed my clothes and…kissed me?" she asked stiffly.

Bishop smiled. "Yes, that actually happened," he said as he bent his head down to her neck and kissed it. Ryoko froze. "Just like this is happening," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her back into him.

_Ryoko! Snap out of it! Get out of his arms! _Ryoko's brain screamed, but her nervous system was not responding to the brain waves. She was just frozen, not believing what was happening. Instead, she opened her mouth. "Why?" she asked shakily.

Bishop lifted his head a little. "Why what?" he asked.

"Why are you…kissing me…and…I guess…loving on me? Aren't I a test subject?" she asked.

Bishop placed his head back towards her neck. "Perhaps you are a test subject, but I am also a man. Even the other scientists agree that you are an attractive…specimen. Can a man not have a lover?" he said.

"Perhaps, but is it really proper for your lover to be your test subject?" she asked pointedly.

"There are many things I do that are not proper," he said, smirking.

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "You got that right."

Bishop chuckled. Ryoko started. She never heard him chuckle before. Bishop looked at the clock. _5:15. Time for her to get ready for the other tests today._ Bishop removed his arms from her, though rather reluctantly. "You should get ready for today. It is already 5:15," he said as he stepped back from her and turned to leave the room.

Ryoko nodded, than turned around quickly. "Hey, Bishop, did somebody change my closet in the middle of the night? There were more shorts and tank tops yesterday but now there is none," she asked.

Bishop turned back. "Yes, in fact I had it changed last night. I cannot have my men being distracted by a woman walking around in shorts and a tank top with her tattoo playing peek-a-boo above her waistband," he said simply and turned to leave again.

"Well, can you at least get me some less constricting clothes so that I can perform the tests to my fullest potential?" she asked.

Bishop looked back over his shoulder. "No." He kept walking.

Ryoko shook her head. _Stupid man_, she muttered in her head, then turned back around and started to change again.

After she was done, she walked out and Bishop was standing there, waiting for her. He looked her up and down and nodded approvingly and turned and walked down the hall. Ryoko rolled her eyes and followed after him. "Today's test is a strength test. The test the first day was an endurance test, the second day was an endurance test again and the other one was how long you can hold your breath. Today's test shouldn't strain you as much as those two," Bishop said.

Ryoko nodded. "But by doing the other tests first, I am weaker 'cause I didn't rest a few days. Instead I was pushed to exhaustion two days in a row with no rest day. This is also an endurance test of sorts, isn't it?" she asked.

Bishop looked at her over her shoulder. _She's smart._ "Yes, it is. That is the exact reason why the tests are in this order. You were actually supposed to do this test yesterday after the breath test, but you were almost killed, so it was not wise to give you the strength test then," he said.

Ryoko nodded. Bishop turned towards a door and swiped his card, unlocking it. He turned and gestured for her to go inside. Ryoko complied and went inside. Bishop followed after her.

**After the Testing for the Day**

Ryoko walked down the hall, stretching her arms. "Really, I thought those were gonna be harder," she said.

Bishop followed after her, looking at the results and shaking his head. _She lifted 500 pounds, pushed 1,000 pounds, and pulled 900 pounds. She has super strength also._ He looked up at her back. _Yet she is so tiny and looks so breakable._ "Well, since you finished these tests so early, you can go back to your room and rest," he said.

Ryoko nodded. "I figured. Nothing else for me to do really," she said as she walked.

Bishop looked at her. _She probably should do something, but there really **is** nothing for her to do._

They reached her room and Ryoko turned to say bye, but Bishop kept walking and walked in.

Ryoko looked at him quizzically, then walked in. "Don't you have something you need to attend to?" she asked.

Bishop looked at her. "Yes, but I can't leave you to your own devices," he said as he turned around to face her.

"What devices?" Ryoko asked. "I promised to stay, and stay I will. I won't be trying to escape," she said.

"Perhaps, but being as you are not a normal specimen. Others, other than the turtles, may wish to take you. I need to ensure that doesn't happen," Bishop said, sitting on the bed. "Come over here and sit with me," he said.

Ryoko looked at him suspiciously but proceeded to do as he said and sat on the bed beside him. "What is it, Bishop? Who even knows about me?"

Bishop looked at her. "Many people know about you, including aliens," he said.

Ryoko looked at him, confusion on her face. "I remember hearing the turtles say something about aliens before, but I thought I misheard them. But you are saying they exist?" she asked.

Bishop nodded and started to explain to her the history of EPF and why he was here. After he was done, she nodded. "I see, so you wish to see what I am capable of and then splicing my DNA with other humans so that they can have those same abilities?" she asked.

Bishop nodded. "Yes, to help protect the earth."

Ryoko shook her head. "What would happen to the people it doesn't take to?" she asked.

"They would most likely not be changed, since you are a human also," he said.

Ryoko nodded. "Ok, I'll help with that, but please stop experimenting on aliens. I don't think all of them mean harm to earth. Perhaps some, but not all will."

Bishop shook his head. "I do not wish to take that chance. Ryoko, some of these aliens can seem nice and do not mean harm to Earth, but deep within they are planning Earth's destruction. You must understand," Bishop said.

Ryoko stood. "I do not have to 'understand' anything. I am just a simple test subject. Something you can use to destroy innocent life!" she shouted. Tears flowed down her cheeks. _Why am I crying? Why am I hurt by his words?_ She shook her head and turned her back towards Bishop.

Bishop stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I care that you do understand, because to me you are not some simple test subject. You…you are Awel's granddaughter. You look so much like her. Your attitude is so much like her. I…I have fallen in love again. I have fallen in love with you," Bishop said quietly.

Ryoko shook her head. "How can you say that? How can you say that so simply to someone you met only two days ago, not to mention your test subject?" she asked, choking on her tears.

Bishop turned her to face him. He saw the tears on her face and wiped them away. "Because of your spirit. Most people would have cared more for their freedom, but you threw that away for the turtles, creatures you didn't even know for 24 hours. I admired that. You also haven't let the tests and your being cooped up to get you down and depressed. That's something most people would not be able to do. "

Ryoko stared at his chest area. "So you have fallen in love with me because of that," she stated more than asked.

Bishop nodded. He tilted her face up towards him and bent down so that only an inch was between their faces. Ryoko looked into his eyes. They were…kind and…gentle. They were also asking for permission. Ryoko felt her breath catch. She closed her eyes. Bishop took that as permission and closed the inch between their lips. He started kissing her. Ryoko kissed back. She ran her hands around the back of his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. Bishop stepped back and sat down on the bed, bringing Ryoko with him. Ryoko sat on top of him, straddling him. Bishop stopped kissing her, and looked up into her eyes. "I don't have the touch?" he asked, smirking.

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Ok, maybe a little," she said, a corner of her mouth quirked up a little. She then placed her lips on his. He pulled back and looked up at her.

"I really should go back to work, my dear," he said softly.

"Yeah, you should," Ryoko said as she pecked him on the lips and moved to get off of him, but Bishop stopped her.

"Not right now. Just stay here with me for a little while," he said.

Ryoko stopped and moved back to where she was. Bishop ran his hands up her side. Finally he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body closer to him. He reached up and stroked her face, letting his fingers run along her lips. Ryoko smiled and bent down and kissed him. Bishop smiled through the kiss. Then he got an evil idea. He leaned back, arms still secure around her, and flipped her over so that he was on top. Ryoko gasped, than blushed. Bishop stretched himself out over her and started to kiss her neck. Bishop felt too warm. He sat up and slipped his coat off and bent down to keep kissing her. When he moved to bend back down, he looked at Ryoko. He smirked. He just bent over and brushed a kiss on her lips. Bishop placed his forehead on hers. "I need to go back to work. I'll come back later," he said gruffly. Ryoko pursed her lips.

"Fine. But can't say for sure if I'll still be in the mood later or not," she said.

Bishop smirked. "Oh, I'll put you in the mood, whether you originally are or not," he said as he stood up and grabbed his coat and went to leave. He turned back to her. "Take care, Ryoko," he said quietly.

Ryoko nodded. After he left, she felt tired, so she laid down and went to sleep.

**A Few Hours Later**

"Agent Bishop, there seems to be something going on in our most recent test subject's room," a scientist said, looking at the monitor.

Bishop came up and looked at the screen. "She should be resting. I'll go and check on her," he said. He turned and left the room. He figured she was fine, but he couldn't shake the sneaking suspicion that something was wrong. He walked into her room and froze. Ryoko laid there on the floor with what looked like a man standing over her. The man quickly turned around and punched Bishop, knocking him out. When Bishop came to a minute later, the man and Ryoko were gone. He hit the floor. "No!" he shouted. He stood up and ran down towards the control room. "We've had a break in! Our test subject has been taken!" Bishop said, hitting the alarm button. "Search through this entire compound and find them!" Immediately his men went into action. He stood there, hands on the console, hanging his head. _Why now? Why after everything does she have to be taken?_ he wondered. They searched for an hour, but couldn't find any sign of Ryoko or the man. Bishop shook his head. _She's gone._


	7. The Mysterious Man and the Return

**With Ryoko**

Ryoko stirred, groaning. _My head hurts, again. Why does that always happen to me? Wait, what happened in the first place? _ As she laid there trying to remember, it all came back to her.

FLASHBACK

Ryoko stirred, than sat up suddenly. She sensed something in the room. It was dark since she had turned the lights out. She quickly got out of bed. "Who's there?" There was no answer. "I know you are there, whoever you are, so just come clean and tell me who you are," she said, poised for an attack at any time.

"You truly live up to your family's name, Ryoko. I didn't make a sound, yet you sensed me here before you even woke up. Impressive," a voice said from behind her. She whirled to face the direction where the voice came from.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" she asked.

"I have come to rescue you from Agent Bishop. Can't have such a pretty and skilled thing like you locked up like a caged animal," he said.

"I'm not. I am here of my own choosing," Ryoko said.

"Really? Did you come up to Agent Bishop and offer to be his specimen, or were you captured and he gave you no option but to stay of your own will?" the voice asked.

Ryoko looked down at the floor. "He captured me first," she said quietly.

"Then it wasn't originally your idea," the voice said.

"It may not have been my idea, but he is different. He loves me," Ryoko said, head snapping up.

The voice snickered. "He has the wool pulled over your eyes, girl. He wishes you to think that so that you won't want to leave. He plans to seduce you and use you for your DNA. Then after he is through with you, he'll throw you away like a used snot rag, not taking a second thought."

Ryoko shook her head. "No, he won't," she said quietly.

"I see. He already has you under his spell. I'll need to take you by force," the voice said before she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head and she blacked out.

END FLASHBACK

_That's right. That's what happened. So where am I now? _she wondered, opening her eyes and looking around.

"I see you are finally awake," a voice said to her left.

Ryoko jerked her head to look. A man sat there in a purple cloak. She couldn't see his face, but she knew the cloak. _The Black Blade,_ she thought. "What would a member of the Black Blade want with a woman like me?" she asked innocently as she sat up.

The cloaked man shook his head and chuckled. "We don't want anything in particular. We just don't like seeing one of our own locked up like an animal and being used as you were," he said.

Ryoko looked at him quizzically. "I am not a member of the Black Blade," she said.

"But you are a mercenary. While members of the Black Blade do look out for their own and don't care about other mercenaries, we have heard of your family's…dilemma and we wished to get you out of yours, as you could be a member in the future," the man said.

Ryoko shook her head. "You don't understand. I stayed there to protect my friends, otherwise I would have escaped a long time ago. Now that I am gone, what is going to stop Bishop from attacking them?" she asked, turning her back on the man.

"Perhaps, but knowing Bishop, he would have eventually broken his promise anyways. He always does," the man said.

Ryoko shook her head. "He loves me, and I know he does. He wouldn't betray me like that."

The man shook his head. "Apparently you won't listen to reason. I'll have to wipe your memories of him," he said as he quickly wrapped his arm around her torso and placed a device against her forehead.

"No!" she shouted, but she blacked out.

When she came to, the man was still there, watching her. She looked up at him. His eyes were green. "Do you know what I rescued you from?" the man asked.

Ryoko shook her head, confusion on her face. "No, I don't recall. What was it?" she asked.

The man shook his head. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Ryoko sat back. "A member of the Black Blade asks me a question like that and then says it's nothing. I find that highly suspicious," she said, crossing her arms.

"Perhaps, but take this," the man said, stretching his hand out. He opened it up. In his palm there was a ring. It was simple. It had a thin silver band with a jet black stone with a purple sword in the middle. "This will tell anybody in the Black Blade that you are a friend and to help you if you are in trouble. Now, I must leave. Take care, Ryoko," the man said as he stood and left.

"But what is your name!" Ryoko shouted after him, but no answer came. She sighed. "And where am I?" she grumbled. She stood up and walked towards the window nearby. She looked out. _Looks like it's downtown New York. I can find my way back to the turtles from here_, she thought as she turned and left the room.

**An Hour Later**

"Yo, dudes, come check out this new game I found! It's called Halo!" Mikey shouted from the living area.

"Mikey, don't you think you should be training rather than playing video games?" Leo asked.

"Maybe, but games are so much more fun!" Mikey exclaimed when some of the sensors started going off that they had set up in the sewers. All the turtles perked up and ran towards the screens where Don was.

"Don, what is it?" Leo asked.

"Probably some sewer creatures," Raph said, shrugging.

Don shook his head. "No, it's too big, and it doesn't seem to be a mutant," he said. Just then, they saw Ryoko running past a camera they had set up. "It's Ryoko!" Don exclaimed.

"She's probably looking for us," Raph said.

"Well, let's go let her in," Leo said, running towards the door.

When he opened the door, Ryoko walked in and the four turtles tackled the woman. She laughed. "What's with all the excitement?" she said cheerily.

"What are you doing here?" Don asked. "You were in Bishop's lab. How did you escape?" he asked.

Ryoko looked at him, confusion on her face. "Bishop? Bishop who?" she asked.

The four turtles then froze and looked at each other. Leo looked at her. "You don't remember?"

Ryoko cocked her head. "Remember what?" she asked, getting more confused.

"You don't remember that Bishop kidnapped you and we went to rescue you but you refused, saying you needed to figure out something before you could come back. You don't remember any of that?" Leo asked.

Ryoko slowly shook her head. "No. I was just going a few day trip and I was coming back. Though somebody did ask if I remember what he rescued me from, but I had no idea what he was talking about," she said.

Raph, Leo, and Mikey looked at Don. Don shrugged. "I am guessing whoever rescued her erased her memories of the last few days and replaced them with something else. No idea," he said.

"Well, I guess that means she was taken forcefully and Bishop didn't let her go, the hunt for us is back on," Leo said. "And she can't even remember what happened so she can't even remember what she wanted to find out." Leo shook his head. "Guess go on with life as usual," he said, shrugging and turning back to head inside.

The other three turtles looked at each, shrugged, and followed, leaving Ryoko standing there, confused. "What the heck is going on now?" she asked no one in particular. She shook her head and followed them.

"If you don't know about it, don't worry about it," Leo said. "It's not worth you trying to remember stuff that would most likely be unpleasant."

Ryoko shrugged and headed over to where Don was sitting. "What are you up to?" she asked.

"Calling April. She had wanted to meet you," he said. Ryoko nodded.

"Ok," she said as she turned and went and sat on the couch.

About an hour later, April came. "Hey Don, how've you been?" she asked.

"We've been doing fine, especially since Ryoko is ok. Well, sort of," Don said, shrugging.

"What do you mean by sort of?" April asked,

"Well, she doesn't even remember who Bishop is or anything that happened to her. Somebody rescued her and he seems to have erased her memories of him," Don explained.

"I see. But she still remembers you guys?" April asked.

"Yeap. Everything about us she remembers," Don said as they walked into the living area where Ryoko was sitting on the couch watching a movie with Raph and Mikey.

"Ryoko, this is April. April, this is Ryoko," Don said, introducing them.

Ryoko stood up and turned around and extended her hand to April. "Nice to meet you," then she froze when she saw April's face.

April's eyes widened. "So it was you. When the guys described you to me, I couldn't believe it, but now that I see you, there's no mistaking it. Your Miya's little sister, aren't you?" she said, giving Ryoko a hug. "Everybody thought everyone in your family was dead. How did you survive?" she asked.

Ryoko hugged her back. "My parents hid me and told me not to come out until it was quiet. The Foot left and then I left the city. I just recently came back because there was Foot activity nearby where I was staying.

April stepped back, looking at her confused. "Why would the Foot be after you and your family? You guys aren't in their world," she said.

Ryoko chuckled. "Hehe, well, our family had a secret life. We are a strong family from Japan. Our family business is, well, mercenary work. My parents took on a job that went against Oroku Saki's organization, so he had a vendetta against us. I am the last of my family," she said, bowing her head.

April's eyes softened and she hugged the other woman. "It'll be fine, Ryoko. You are strong and you will help take down the Shredder, I know it. But in the meantime, how about you and I have some girl time and go topside and get you some clothes, hmm?" she asked, winking at her.

Ryoko grinned. "Sounds good to me. Race you to the door!" She shouted as she ran towards the door that went topside.

"Hey! I am no ninja or mercenary! Wait up!" April shouted, laughing,

The other turtles laughed. "It's interesting how April knew Ryoko and her family but she didn't know they were mercenaries," Leo mused.

"Yeah, it's like they had completely normal lives," Mikey conjectured.

"That is probably because they did, Mikey," Don said. "They just had other jobs that normal people didn't know about."

"Ryoko's family held many dark secrets," Master Splinter said. "And I have a feeling that they will come out with time."

"Again, like I said, we shouldn't trust her," Raph said. Everybody groaned. Raph looked at them. "What?"

"Again with, 'We shouldn't trust her,' and, 'What do I care?' when it concerns Ryoko. What is up with you?" Leo asked.

Raph shrugged. "I just don't trust her."

"Yet you were more upset that she stayed than the rest of us," Don pointed out.

"Yeah, cause I risked my shell to help rescue her, but she said for us to leave her, and now she doesn't even remember it!" Raph shouted.

"Relax, my son, you must realize that Ryoko has watched her family be murdered in front of her and has been raised in an environment where you can do any work as long as it is for money," Master Splinter said.

Raph shook his head and turned away. "I still don't trust her," he said.


	8. The Memories and the Goodbyes

_Last Time_

Raph shrugged. "I just don't trust her."

"Yet you were more upset that she stayed than the rest of us," Don pointed out.

"Yeah, cause I risked my shell to help rescue her, but she said for us to leave her, and now she doesn't even remember it!" Raph shouted.

"Relax, my son, you must realize that Ryoko has watched her family be murdered in front of her and has been raised in an environment where you can do any work as long as it is for money," Master Splinter said.

Raph shook his head and turned away. "I still don't trust her," he said.

_Now_

A few hours later, April and Ryoko returned with some clothes and food that they bought.

"Hey guys, we're back from shopping," April called out. "We also got some groceries when we were out," she said, setting the bags of food on the table.

"Alright, we were getting low on food," Raph said, jumping over the couch.

"What kind of food do you like, Raph?" Ryoko asked, starting to put the food away.

Raph grinned. "Classic BLT," he said.

Ryoko laughed. "Well, good thing we bought bacon then," she said as she got out bread, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. "Leo, what's your favorite food?"

Leo looked up. "Umm, I guess fish and salad," he said.

"Ok." She turned and got out a single-serving of fish. "Don?" she shouted.

"Pizza!" he shouted.

"Mikey?"

"Pizza, dude. Or, umm, dudette!"

Ryoko rolled her eyes, then turned and asked, "Master Splinter?"

He looked at her. "I will have soup."

Ryoko nodded. "Would you want vegetable soup?"

Master Splinter nodded. "That sounds very good to me."

Ryoko smiled. "Ok, so I have BLT, fish and salad, two pizzas, and a vegetable soup. Sounds like this is going to be fun," she said as she turned and started getting to work.

"Wait, you're going to make all of us our supper?" Leo said, walking into the kitchen.

Ryoko looked at him. "Of course. Apparently I caused you guys a lot of trouble concerning some Bishop character, and I wanted to make your favorites as an apology." She turned back to cooking.

"You don't have to do that. It is ok," he said.

Ryoko shook her head. "Some much apparently happened and I don't remember. I can understand Raph not trusting me, especially since it seems I am so flighty. I just can't remember what happened. But I have a feeling that it wasn't all bad, but I don't know. I think the guy that rescued me erased my memory of the last few days."

"What did the guy look like?" he asked.

She looked up and tapped her chin. "He wore a purple cloak. I couldn't see his face, but his eyes were green. He gave me this ring, said that if anyone from the Black Blade saw it, they would help me if I was ever in trouble," she said, showing the ring to Leo.

"The Black Blade? Sounds dangerous," Leo said.

Ryoko shook her head. "Not really. They are a guild of mercenaries that have existed for many centuries. They ensure that their jobs do not take life. It may enable others to take lives, but they will not take lives themselves. My family helped in its' founding. Around 100 years ago, we cut off ties from them, not wishing to be associated with a guild and wanting to live fairly normal lives, getting random jobs to keep our skills sharp but not enough to be a career, more like, a hobby," she explained.

Leo nodded. "I see, so they're your friends?"

Ryoko shrugged. "More or less."

"I never knew that about your family, Ryoko," April said.

"Yeah, well, like I said, we wanted to live normal lives and not be known as mercenaries," she said, shrugging.

April nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that."

Later on, after supper was cooked and everything was cleaned up and April had gone home, Raph stood up. "I'm going out for a run," he said as he walked towards the lair door.

Ryoko stood up and followed him. "I'll come with you," she said.

"I don't want you following me," Raph growled.

Ryoko smiled. "We have to talk, Raph, and now's a good a time as any."

Raph growled, but turned around towards the door. "Do whatever you like."

Ryoko smirked. "I will."

Leo watched them. "Do you think they will be ok, Master Splinter?" he asked.

Master Splinter looked up. "I do believe so, Leonardo. Ryoko knows that Raphael does not care for her, and she is the only one who can fix that. Let them be."

Leo nodded, then continued on with what he was doing.

Topside

Raph and Ryoko jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Ryoko keeping pace with Raph.

"So, what exactly is it about me that you don't like?" she asked straightforward.

"I just don't know you," he said.

"Perhaps, but the first night and the first day you didn't seem to be so hostile towards me. What happened in the last three days that you seem to hate me?" she asked.

Raph looked at her. "You beat me in a fight, yet you couldn't beat Bishop. Makes me think he's your boss. And the cherry on the cake is that you don't remember a single thing. Also, you've told us that you are from a family of mercenaries. How do I know that you aren't a mercenary hired by Bishop to ferret us out?"

"I guess you don't, and I can't say anything to defend myself, cause I don't remember," she said.

"You don't remember Bishop stroking your hair out of your face right after we left you there with him? You don't remember staying with him for three days? Nothing about that?" he asked. "I can't believe it, I refuse to believe it."

Ryoko shook her head. "There is nothing I can say to change your mind, but perhaps I can show you the truth. My family wasn't just about the physical, we were also about the mystical. There is a spell that we can use to show others our memories. Perhaps I can show you the ones I currently have, and maybe, just maybe, I can unlock the ones that the man changed. Are you game for that?" she asked.

Raph looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Fine. I'll do that." They jumped onto the next rooftop and stopped. They walked towards a darker area and sat down. Ryoko stretched her hands forward.

"Take my hands." Raph grabbed them. "Now close your eyes." Raph complied.

Ryoko then closed her eyes and focused. Suddenly, images floated into Raph's mind. Images of a forest, and trees, and a river. No Bishop. Then, suddenly, a man in a purple cloak, handing her a ring, then him and his brothers. Suddenly, it went black. Raphael suddenly realized Ryoko's hands were no longer in his. His eyes flew open and he saw Ryoko lying on the roof, holding her head, biting her lower lip so hard it was bleeding.

Raph's eyes widened. He stood and kneeled beside her. "Ryoko, Ryoko! What's wrong?! What's going on?!"

"She has tried to access her true memories and I have placed a strong block on it. She tried to break that block, causing her excruciating pain," a voice said behind Raph.

Raph whirled around. His eyes narrowed. "You're the man that gave her that ring. The one that blocked her memories," he said as he stood, readying his sais.

"Yes, I am. However, it was for her own good. Bishop would have hurt her beyond repair, but she would not see it. She refused to see it. I had to erase whatever memories she had of him to make her not want to turn herself back in," the man said.

"Give her memories back," Raph said, attacking him.

"I cannot give them back to her, but I can show them to you," the man said, holding up the same device as earlier. Raph's forehead hit the device, and suddenly all the images, all the memories of the pain and exhaustion she felt, flooded into his head. He stepped back, holding his head.

"What the shell did you do to me?" he shouted.

"I showed you what she experienced while with Bishop. Now, you have those memories of hers. Those images, and remembrances of her pains and emotions. If you look at them, you will see why I had to remove them from her," the man said.

"It doesn't matter why you did it, taking people's memories is low-down and dirty," Raph said, getting ready to attack again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked. It was Ryoko.

"Raph, it is fine. You can tell me so that I know," she said, smiling sadly. "But, do you trust me now?"

Raph looked at her. "Yes, I do now. I see you were telling the truth," he said, lowering his sais.

Ryoko looked at the man and bowed. "Thank you," she said.

The man bowed back. "You are welcome, Ryoko." Then he disappeared.

Raph looked at her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go back. I have a lot to tell the guys about what happened to you," he said.

Ryoko nodded. "Ok," she said and then they headed back to the lair.

When they returned, the guys all came up and asked if anything happened. Raph told them about the man and seeing what Ryoko's memories were of the past three days, and that he now had Ryoko's true memories of when she was in Bishop's lab.

"Well, what was it about that she had wanted to stay?" Leo asked.

"The exact same thing that she told you," Raph said.

"Did she find the answer?" Don pressured.

"Yes, she did," he said reluctantly.

"So, what was it, bro? Spill!" Mikey shouted.

"It's…a little disturbing," he said as he looked a Ryoko. She cocked her head, her eyes innocent. He shook his head. _How could he KISS her_. He looked back at his brothers. "She found out that he loves her 'cause he loved her grandma," he said, shivering.

"Wait, he told her he loves her?" Leo said, slightly shocked.

"Yes. He also…made out with her." The other turtles looked at Ryoko.

Her eyes were wide. "What? I don't remember, so don't look at me."

The other brothers looked back at Raph. "So what exactly did he do that she allowed that?"

Raph thought. "He carried her twice out of the labs…a very un-Bishop-like thing to do…he stopped an experiment 'cause it almost killed her and he was unhappy with the scientists who were in charge of the experiment cause they pushed her too far. He allowed her some freedom despite being a test subject. Shall I continue?" Raph asked. His brothers shook their heads. They then looked at Ryoko.

She raised her hands. "I don't remember any of that. But if he did do those things for me, I may have…loved…him back," she said, bowing her head.

The other turtles shook their heads. "Not sure if anyone could truly love him. Not even sure if HE can truly love someone," Leo said.

Raph shook his head. "He did. The expressions he had said everything. He truly does care for her," Raph said.

The turtles looked at him, confused. "Really?" Mikey said. Raph nodded.

"Yeah, hard to believe myself, but these images in my head don't lie."

Then the turtles looked back at Ryoko. "What do you want to do?" Leo asked.

Ryoko shook her head. "I don't know. From what I understand, I made a deal with Bishop that he would leave you alone as long as I stayed. But, from what Raph says, I was taken away. I don't want to risk your lives, so, I will return to his lab. You guys know where it is, right? Since you broke in before?" she asked.

Leo nodded. Raph shoved the others to be in front of her. "You would go back to the creepo? Even after everything he did to you?" he asked, indignant.

Ryoko looked at him dead in the eyes. "Yes. I gave my word and I won't break it. I will return," she said as she turned and headed back into the lair where she left her clothes earlier.

Raph grabbed her wrist and jerked her around. "I'm not going to let you go back to the megalomaniac!" he shouted, starting to drag her the opposite direction of where she was heading.

"Raph, let me go. I need to keep my word," Ryoko pleaded.

"You don't have to keep your word to that creep," he said, dragging her towards the training area.

"Raph, stop this. Let her go," Leo said, jumping in front of him.

"Leo, you can't tell me you agree with this. You can't agree with what she is doing!" Raph said.

Leo shook his head. "I may not like it, but she is keeping her word. That is something a ninja should never go back on. I admire the fact that she keeps her word," Leo said.

Raph turned towards his other two brothers. "Guys?" he asked. They looked at the floor. Raph turned towards Master Splinter. "Master Splinter?"

Master Splinter bowed his head. "I agree with Leonardo on this one, my son. If Ryoko wishes to keep her word, we should not stop her."

Raph shook his head and ground his teeth. "You haven't seen what they were doing to her, you haven't remembered the pain she felt. I can't let her go back to that and re-experience all that again," he said.

"Perhaps, Raph, but this is her decision, and she is deciding that she will go back and keep her word and protect us, keep him from chasing after us again," Leo said, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Raph shook his head and shrugged off Leo's hand. "I can't endorse this, but fine, go and leave us again. I don't care," he said, making a shooing motion with his hand as he turned away from Ryoko.

Ryoko stood for a moment, then ran forward and hugged Raph from behind. "Raph, thank you for caring for me. I promise that as soon as I get out, I will return. But, until then, wait. I will come back," she said, "That is a promise."

Raph looked at her over his shoulder. "You promise?" he asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, I promise, and I am a woman of my word."

Raph looked at her and then turned around and gave her a hug. "I will wait," he said.

Ryoko smiled. "Thank you, Raph. I won't forget you," she then turned to everyone else. "Any of you," she said, smiling sadly. She then turned to get her clothes. After she got them packed, she turned back to the turtles. "I will remember you all and make sure to return as soon as I can. Until then, be safe and kick some shell," she said smiling.

The four turtles gathered around her and gave her a group hug. Leo leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Be careful. We all see you as a sister of sorts, even though we haven't known you long."

Ryoko nodded but didn't say anything. After they stopped hugging her, Master Splinter walked up to them. Ryoko turned to him and bowed deeply. "Thank you for opening your home to me, Master Splinter. I will never forget this kindness," she said.

Master Splinter bowed also. "Please be careful, child. You have become very close to Leonardo and Raphael, even though he does not show it," he said, looking at his hot-headed son.

Ryoko straightened up. "Of course, Master Splinter. I will be careful," she said. She then turned to leave, then looked over her shoulder. She lifted up her hand. "_Hasta luego_," she said, then turned and ran out the door.

Leo sighed. "I hope she'll be ok," he said.

"Of course she will. She's pretty cool," Mikey said.

"Yeah, but, what if…," Don started.

"My sons, what ifs no longer matter. She has made her decision, and she will return to us," Splinter said. "Trust her, and do not worry. She will return," he said, then he turned back to the lair. The turtles then followed, except Raph.

He gazed at the door, almost expecting to hear a knock and opening it to see her there, but he knew she had made up her mind. There was no chance of her coming back until Bishop said she could. He turned and followed his brothers.

* * *

_This fast update is for you, Nigel Flemming. :)_


	9. Returning to the Lab

Sorry bout the long update time! Got busy and forgot that I never finished updating this story! Hope ya'll enjoy!

* * *

_Last Time_

_"What do you want to do?" Leo asked._

_Ryoko shook her head. "I don't know. From what I understand, I made a deal with Bishop that he would leave you alone as long as I stayed. But, from what Raph says, I was taken away. I don't want to risk your lives, so, I will return to his lab."_

**With Ryoko**

Ryoko wandered around the streets, wondering where the lab was. _How can I get there if I can't find it?_ she wondered to herself. _Well, according to Raph, he just found me, so maybe he will find me again. I am his specimen_, she thought to herself. She wandered around for awhile before she saw a suspicious black van. She walked beside it when she saw the logo for the EPF. _Ahh, there it is_, she thought. She knocked on the passenger side door. The man in the seat opened up the window.

"What is it, girl?" the man asked roughly.

Ryoko cocked her head. "Don't you know an escaped test subject when you see one?" she asked sweetly. The man jumped out of the van quickly, pointing a gun at her. "Hey hey, I am turning myself back in to you guys. I was taken against my will," she said. "Just ask Bishop. I think he was there," she said. The men looked at each other, then slid open the door.

"Get in, We'll take you to the lab where you were," the man said.

"Thank you," she said then jumped into the van.

The man closed the door and shook his head. _This is the first time an experiment has returned of their own free will_. He hopped back into the passenger seat. "Let's go," he told the driver.

After about ten minutes of driving, they stopped, then they were suddenly going down. Ryoko listened in on the conversation going on in the front of the van.

"Agent Bishop, Ryoko has returned. Yeah, she came back of her own will. Yeap. Yeap. Ok. Understand, sir. We will be there in a few minutes," he hung up. "Well, girlie, you'll soon be back to your home sweet home," he said.

Ryoko nodded. "Ok, thanks."

When they reached the bottom, Ryoko got out of the van and she saw Bishop standing there. _I guess that's what he looks like_, she thought then examined him. _Not too bad looking_.

"Ryoko, I am so glad that you have come back," Bishop said, striding forward and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Let us take you back to your room."

Ryoko nodded. "Ok," she said quietly.

Bishop lead her down the halls. He noticed that she looked at everything as if it was the first time. _She couldn't have missed this place that much, especially since it hasn't even been a day,_ he thought. "Here is your room. We added some extra security to make sure that no…unwelcomed guests could come in and take you again," he said.

Ryoko nodded and mumbled a thank you. Bishop looked at her face. There was no embarrassment or blushing. "Ryoko," he said. She looked up at him. "What happened to you? You don't seem to be yourself," he said stepping closer to her.

Ryoko unconsciously took a step back. "Nothing, Bishop. I-I just am a little nervous being back is all," she lied.

Bishop moved quickly. He gently grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall and kissed her. Ryoko's eyes widened. She quickly pushed him away. She leaned against the wall, looking at Bishop wide-eyed.

"You never pushed me away before. In fact, you encouraged me kissing you the last time. What's wrong?" Bishop said, fingers stroking her face, his face concerned.

Ryoko opened her mouth, then closed it, then she swallowed. "The man that took me away from here," she said slowly.

Bishop nodded. "Yes?"

"He sort of…erased my memories of the last few days. I have no memory of you. But he gave those memories to one of the turtles, and he told me everything. I know I had feelings for you and you for me, it's just hard to apply those feelings to me right now because it seems like they are of a different person, even though they are from me," she said, sliding down the wall. "I-I just don't know what to do, Bishop. I-I feel so…isolated. My memories were tampered with," she said, voice shaky.

Bishop's eyes softened. He knelt down beside her. "It is ok, Ryoko. I will show you again that I love you, even though you are here," he said kindly. Ryoko looked up at him. There were tears gathering in her eyes. He wiped them away. "I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you. We will just need to see what else you are capable of and take some samples of your DNA to splice it into other humans, then you are free to go, ok?" he said.

Ryoko looked up at him, eyes searching his face. "What if I don't want to go?" she asked quietly.

Bishop then stroked her face. "Then you can stay by my side," he said, then he kissed her forehead. Ryoko leaned her forehead into him. Bishop pulled back, then stood, grabbing her hand and pulling her up with him. "But first, you must rest. You have the balance test tomorrow," he said. Ryoko stood for a few minutes, then started to sink back down to the floor. Bishop caught her. "You definitely need to rest, my dear," he said as he picked her up. "You've been through a lot today." After he set her on the bed and pulled the covers over her, he turned to leave, but Ryoko grabbed his hand. He stopped and looked back at her.

"Bishop, will you stay with me?" she asked timidly.

Bishop turned back to her. "Why?" he asked.

"I want you to tell me everything that you were thinking, everything that you were feeling, during the time I was last here. I want to recover the feelings I apparently felt before, but I cannot relive those moments again, and Raph wasn't inclined to tell me them," she said. "But, if you were to tell me yours, maybe, just maybe, I can recover mine for you."

Bishop sat down on the bed. He reached forward and stroked her head. "I can tell you that when I saw you from a distance, something drew me to you. Your abilities, yes, but something else also drew me. I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but I knew I had to test your abilities. It wasn't until after I got you that my feelings started really growing." His mind wandered back to when she finished her first round of tests and she acted as a friend almost, teaching him about the meaning of a 'pick-up line' and 'getting laid.' He chuckled. Ryoko looked up at him, confused.

"What are you chuckling at?" she asked.

Bishop smiled. "Nothing. Just thinking about what happened after your first round of tests when I brought you back here."

Ryoko cocked her head. "What happened?" she asked. He relayed the story to her, about how she taught him the meanings of certain phrases and how she blushed and how she turned even redder after saying the word 'sex.' Whenever he got to that part, she turned an even brighter red than at that time, and Bishop laughed.

"I really said that?" she asked. Bishop nodded.

"Yes, you did," he said, stroking her face. "That is when my feelings developed for you. I was harsh at first, but I couldn't hide it. When my men decided to take the testing too far and almost killed you, I broke. I couldn't take it anymore. When I brought you back, soaked from the test, I had to change your clothes so that you didn't get sick. You fought it, but eventually I got you changed. Then, I kissed you. You couldn't fight me at the time because you were too weak, but you did shout after me that I didn't have the touch and that I caught you by surprise. That most likely stemmed from my comment of still having the touch," he said, chuckling.

Ryoko smiled. "Probably. Sounds like something I'd do. What else did you feel?" she asked.

Bishop looked down at her and his smile went away. "I was sad when that man took you. I came into your room, but you were knocked out, with him standing over you. I wasn't expecting that, and he punched me, knocking me out. When I came to, both you and the man were gone, without a trace. I felt lost. I had just lost you to somebody who I had no idea about. But now, now, you are back, here with me, of your own free will," he said, then he bent down, stopping short of kissing her.

Ryoko looked up into his eyes, and smiled. "Go ahead."

Bishop smiled, and then he closed the few inches and gently placed his lips on hers. Ryoko closed her eyes and kissed back. Bishop placed his hand underneath her head. Ryoko wrapped her arms around his neck. Bishop took his other hand and placed it under her back. Ryoko pushed Bishop away gently. Bishop looked at her. "Let me get out from under the covers. I'm getting too warm," she said as she moved to get out from under them. Bishop watched as she sat up and pushed the covers back. He smiled. Ryoko looked at him. "What?" she asked.

Bishop shook his head. "It's nothing, my dear," he said.

Ryoko smiled. "Ok," she said, leaning forward and kissing him. Bishop kissed back. She placed her hands on either side of his face. Bishop wrapped his arms around her and moved her so that she was sitting on his lap. Ryoko placed her arms around his neck, kissing him.

Bishop broke the kiss and looked up into her face. "I love you," he said, voice rough.

Ryoko placed her forehead on his. "I may not remember my feelings from before, but at least right now I love you too," she said.

Bishop looked into her face. "That's good. That's very good," he said. Then he stopped. He sensed something in the room. He and looked past Ryoko at the door. There was a scientist standing there, dumbfounded. Bishop all of sudden lost all desire and quickly placing Ryoko gently onto the bed. She looked up, confused, until she saw the scientist. She blushed. She looked up at Bishop, uncertainty in her eyes. Bishop looked at her. "I'll take care of this," he said as he walked towards the scientist and they stepped out.

Bishop grabbed the scientist's shoulder and made him face him. "You tell no one of what you just saw, ok?" he said threateningly.

The other man nodded. "Of course. I would not want to tell anyone about what I saw anyways. It is a disturbing sight seeing you…making-out."

Bishop nodded. "Fine. As long as you tell no one of this," he said. "Now what was it you came here for?" he asked.

"Oh, right, I was just coming to get you to say that we needed you in Lab 10."

Bishop nodded. "Alright, I will be right there," he said as he turned to head back in. As soon as he stepped inside, Ryoko stood there, sheepish.

"Sorry about embarrassing you in front of your subordinate," she said quietly.

Bishop stepped forward and stroked her cheek. "You did nothing wrong. He shouldn't have barged in here like that," he said, than he bent down and kissed her. After a few moments, he pulled away. "I love you. Get some rest. You've had a long and exciting day," he said as he turned and left.

Ryoko nodded. "Ok. I'll head to bed now," she said, than she turned and went back to bed and laid down. _Geez, that sure was an adventure, _she thought as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.


	10. Change of the Tide

**The Next Day, at 5:15 am**

"Ryoko, time to wake-up," Bishop said, walking into Ryoko's room. She didn't stir. He smirked and shook his head. He walked up beside the bed and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Wake-up, my dear. You have many things you still need to do," he said. She still didn't stir. Bishop's brows furrowed. "Ryoko, wake-up," he said, shaking her shoulder. She didn't move. Bishop paled and quickly turned her onto her back. Her face was very pale. Bishop quickly checked her pulse. It was strong. He placed his ear against her chest. Her breathing was shallow. He sat up and felt her forehead. It was icy cold. He frowned and quickly got up to leave the room when he sensed someone in the room. Bishop turned quickly. He saw the same man he saw from the day before standing behind Ryoko's bed. "What do you want and how did you get in here?" Bishop demanded.

The man stepped around the bed and took a couple steps towards Bishop. "I had erased her memories of you so that she would not come back, but yet she still returned. The only way I know of to separate you from her is to have you let her go," the man said.

Bishop shook his head. "I will never do that," he said, poised for an attack.

The man chuckled. "I knew you wouldn't, that is why I injected a serum into her so that every time you and her exchange bodily fluids, such as in kissing, she becomes deathly ill. Oh, she won't actually die, but it will give you the scare of your life. You wouldn't want to subject your little test subject to such tortures now, would you?" the man said.

Bishop shook his head. "I wouldn't want to do that," Bishop said, "but I cannot live without her."

The man shook his head. "You lived without her for over 200 years, you can live longer without her," the man said.

Bishop nodded towards Ryoko. "What about her? What about what she wants? Does she wish to be with me or are you forcing her to do what you think is best for her?" Bishop asked.

The man looked at Ryoko. "Perhaps she does wish to be here. She came back on her own, but most likely only to keep her word. Even if she does wish to be with you, I will enforce what I think is best for her, and you are the worst thing for her. Being used as a test subject is something one of her blood should not be subjected to," the man said, looking back at Bishop.

Bishop shook his head. "I agree. I do not want to keep treating her as an experiment, but I must finish the tests on her and get some DNA samples to splice before I can let her go," he said.

"Even after all of that, will you even wish to let her go?" the man said, walking back towards Ryoko. He placed his hand on her forehead. "You couldn't even stop yourself from kissing her after less than a day of not seeing her. Do you think that you can simply let her go after more tests, getting her DNA and loving her? I highly doubt that," the man said, turning towards Bishop. "You must let her go. Send her away. Tell her you never wish to see her again. You can get the DNA you need now, but let her go. Let her live a normal life, a life not trapped in a cell," the man demanded.

Bishop shook his head. "No, I won't. I love her. I can stop the tests and take her DNA sample now, but I will not say that I never wish to see her again. That would be a lie and I do not wish to lie to her," Bishop said, gazing at Ryoko.

The man nodded. "I see. I will let her stay, if she so chooses, but before she wakes up in a few hours, I want to watch you cancel all the tests you had scheduled for her for the rest of her stay before I give you the antidote. Then I will let her decide what she will do," the man said.

"That is fine. However, what are you to her that you protect her to this extent?" Bishop asked.

The man looked at Bishop. His green eyes met Bishop's black ones. "Her father and I were close friends. After I heard of the family's destruction, I thought none survived. But I later heard that one person survived. My friend's daughter. I came to Earth to seek her and protect her as best as I could from the other side of the fence. I cannot become a father to her because of my line of work, but I will help her whenever I know she needs it," the man said.

Bishop nodded. "If I ever do something against her, let me know," Bishop said, then he got on his cell. "McNeal, cancel all test pending of Test Subject R. Yes, all of them. We no longer need any more tests done. That is an order," Bishop said, hanging up his cell. "All tests that Ryoko was to do has been cancelled. I will go and get a DNA sampling kit to take her DNA. Then when she wakes up, then she can either stay or go. Does that satisfy your demands?" he asked the man.

The man nodded. "Yes, it does. However, if I hear that she is being tested on again, you nor your lab will make it another week," the man said as he pressed a button on his belt. A vial popped out and he gave it to Bishop. "Inject this into her and she should be awake in an hour or two," he said, then he took a couple steps back and pressed another button. A bright light flashed, and he was gone.

Bishop shook his head, trying to see. _A teleporter_, he thought. _So that's how he's gotten in here_. _I need to make sure to protect the labs from those kinds of things. But first_, he turned and grabbed a syringe in a nearby drawer and placed the vial into it. Then he walked over to Ryoko and injected it into her. Instantly the color returned to her face. Bishop felt her forehead. It was normal. Bishop sighed. _She will be fine_. He then stood and left the room to get the DNA sampling kit. He came back a few minutes later with the kit. He did everything and stood. He gazed into her face. He gently stroked her face, than he turned and left.

**An Hour Later**

Ryoko stirred and stretched. _Mmm, that was a good sleep_, she thought as she sat up. She then looked at the time. _6:30?! Oh no, I'm late!_ She quickly jumped out of bed and ran towards the closet. She opened it up. She stopped. _It changed again?! When will it just stay the same?_ she wondered as she looked through what was there. All that was there appeared to be business slacks and business outfits. _What in the world?_ She looked and eventually found a really short skirt and a sleeveless blouse. _Well, I guess it won't be very constricting. _She quickly ran over to the bed and changed. She had just gotten the blouse over her head when the door opened. She turned and Bishop was standing there.

He smiled and clapped. "It becomes you, Ryoko," he said as he walked up to her.

She smiled. "Well, that's good. Now, why exactly has my closet changed again?" she asked, walking up to meet him.

"Well, I decided we no longer need you to perform any tests, so the tests are cancelled. We also have gathered DNA from you before, so we no longer need you. You are free to go, if you so wish," he said as he turned to leave.

Ryoko stood there, shocked. Then she shook her head and ran forward, grabbing his hand and stopping him. "Wait, so, I can go home?" she asked, confused.

Bishop looked back at her and nodded. "Yes. I have no need for you anymore," he said as continued to walk.

Ryoko just stood there, shocked. Then she started to follow him. "So, you don't need me for scientific reasons anymore?" she asked.

"That is correct," he said, continuing to walk.

"But don't you need me for, well, you know, anything else?" she asked.

Bishop looked at her. "No. Go home," he said.

Ryoko stopped and her eyes flashed. She ran and jumped over him and stood in front of him, making him stop. "So you mean that you meant nothing about last night? About kissing me? About making out with me?" she said, eyes hurt and flashing.

Bishop looked at her, her eyes piercing him. He softened his stance. "I meant everything last night, and everything before that," he said softly.

"So then why are pushing me away?" she asked. Bishop turned his back to her. Ryoko jumped over him and stood in front him. "Look at me as you tell me," she demanded.

Bishop took a deep breath. "The man who took you before came back and said that I am to give you the choice to stay or go," he said.

Ryoko nodded. "Ok, then you are saying I can stay if I want to?"

"Yes."

Ryoko placed her hands on her hips. "Fine, than I am staying."

Bishop smiled. "That is good," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "I am sorry that I was seeming indifferent. I wanted you to make a choice because of your feelings, not my own," he said.

Ryoko wrapped his arms around him. "I am glad that you truly don't feel indifferent," she said softly.

Bishop then stepped back. "I am glad that you are staying. However, I may need your help still," he said.

Ryoko looked up at him, cocking her head. "What is that?" she asked.

"I need you to train this army I am engineering," he said.

Ryoko crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. "Army?"

"Yes, to protect the Earth," Bishop said.

"How big of an army?" she asked.

"Thousands," he said.

She shook her head. "The number of people you need with my abilities is only in the hundreds."

Bishop's eyebrows went up. "Only hundreds?" he asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes. You _would_ need thousands of warriors with my genetic abilities with no training, but you only need hundreds of warriors with training. It would take time, though, but not sure if the time it would take to create thousands would outweigh the amount of time to create hundreds and train them."

Bishop stood for a few moments, then nodded. "Agreed. They can train until they are needed. However, I will need to establish a training program for them," he said. He took a couple steps away, then he stopped for a few moments, then he turned towards Ryoko. "You can train them," he said.

Ryoko's eyes widened. "What? Me? I don't really think that is a good idea, Bishop," she said, waving her hands in front of her.

Bishop smiled. "Of course it is. It is your DNA that they will be infused with. You will be aware of their capabilities and limitations. You also have the training that is required to train others," he said.

"But-But, I am a woman," she said.

Bishop smirked. "I know," he said.

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "I know, stupid statement. But I know from experience that men with those kind of abilities do not respect women as their trainers," she said.

Bishop raised his eyebrow. "I am not surprised by that. But I am certain that you can demand their respect," he said.

Ryoko crossed her arms. "Ok, but I have one question. Can I go outside?" she asked.

Bishop smiled and stepped forward and tilted her head up and kissed her. "Of course. You are no longer an experiment, but rather one of my most trusted…operatives."

Ryoko looked at him. "Really? An operative?"

Bishop smirked. "How about my most trusted assistant?"

Ryoko smiled. "Sounds good to me," she said as she extended her hand. Bishop looked at it, then took it and shook her hand.

"We have a deal," he said. "Now, I must return to my work. Here are the codes to enter and exit. I am certain that I do not have to tell you to make sure that no one sees you," he said as he continued down the hall.

Ryoko bowed. "Of course, Bishop," she straightened. Then she smiled. She headed towards the nearest exit.

**A Half Hour Later**

"My sons, you must train," Splinter said, exasperated.

"But, Master Splinter, I am just so worried about Ryoko that I can't focus on training," Mikey said.

"Ryoko will take care of herself, my sons. You must focus on your training," Splinter said. The doorbell then rang.

"I'll get it. Probably April wanting to see Ryoko," Don said as he headed towards the door.

"Yeah, but now we have to tell her that she isn't here anymore and that's she with that rotten Bishop," Raph said.

"Guys! We have a surprised guest!" Don shouted as he came running in, a smile on his face.

"What is it, Don?" Leo said, turning to him.

Don pointed to the door and Ryoko walked in. "Ryoko!" the turtles shouted and ran towards her.

"Hey guys! Didn't I promise I would come back?" she asked, hugging the turtles.

"Yeah, but we didn't think that it would be the next day," Leo said.

"Well, let's just say that testing is done, but I am to train the soldiers," Ryoko said.

"Wait, isn't that a bad thing since, well, you know, he wants to get rid of all aliens," Mikey said.

"Perhaps, but if I am in charge of their training, then I can train them to not harm aliens that mean no harm. Bishop won't like that, but that will be core in their training," Ryoko said.

"A way of keeping the enemy in check," Master Splinter said.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, and a close eye."

"Well, at least you are ok," Leo said. "The question is, will you be ok?"

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, because Bishop does love me."

"But will love be enough to halt him in his crazy plans?" Don asked.

Ryoko smiled. "He cancelled the testing on me. Not really sure why. He then gave me the option to stay or go," she said.

"Wait, so he had more tests to do but he cancelled them? And he gave you a choice to stay or go? Was it a genuine offer or did it have strings attached?" Don asked.

Ryoko nodded. "It was a genuine offer. No strings attached," she said.

"Wow. I never would have thought I'd see the day," Raph said, shaking his head.

"Well, you did, Raph," Ryoko said. "Anyways, I have been given freedom to go where I please as I am now Bishop's assistant. I should head back now. I just wanted to let you guys know about everything that happened. I'll drop by sometimes and let you know what's up. Also, Bishop is still not hunting you guys," she said. Then turned to leave. "See ya'll later. Keep out of trouble."

"Alright, we will," Leo said.

"Be safe, child," Splinter said.

Ryoko smiled. "No need to worry about me, Master Splinter. I'm tough," she said as the doors closed to take her back to the top.

"Do you think she will be ok, Master Splinter?" Raph asked.

"I am not sure, Raphael. I am not sure."


	11. The Incomplete End

**Back at Bishop's Lab**

"How was your time out?" Bishop asked when he came into Ryoko's room later.

"It was fine. Did some walking around and some sightseeing," she said.

"Didn't you grow up here?" Bishop asked.

"We lived on the outskirts and very rarely came into the actual city. I never saw certain parts of the city, so I decided to visit them," she said.

"I see," Bishop said. "Did you go visit the turtles?" he asked.

Ryoko looked away. "Yes, I did. Do you disapprove?" she asked, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms.

"No, I do not disapprove. They are your friends," he said. "However, do not speak to them about our plans," he said, stepping forward and tilting her head up.

"Understood, sir. I will speak nothing of this stuff to them," she said.

Bishop smiled. "Good. Now, let us go and eat some dinner," he said as he extended his arm to her. Ryoko looked at it and took it. "Ok. I am famished," she said.

"May I ask what exactly kind of food do you like?" he asked.

"Well, give me something with meat and some kind of potatoes, and I am pretty content," she said.

Bishop looked at her up and down and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "I always get that response, but yes, that is my favorite kind of meal."

"I see," Bishop said. They continued walking down the hall. A few moments passed. "Ryoko," he said.

She stopped and turned and looked at him, causing him to stop. "Yes, Bishop?"

"Why did you decide to stay?" he asked.

Ryoko looked up at the ceiling and they started walking again. "I don't know. It…just seemed like it was the right thing to do," she said slowly.

Bishop looked at her. "I see," he said. They continued on down the hall towards the dining area.

* * *

**AN: This is the end of this particular story. However, I will write some short stories of things that happen in their lives. These will be posted as a different story. I will write another story explaining the dragon tattoo on her hip and what Bishop had said about it in Chapter 5 (A Twist in the Heart). It will tie in with the Ninja Tribunal season of the 2003 TMNT TV series. Hoped ya'll enjoyed the story!**


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